The Right Side of My Pillow, стр. 30
“Hey, Cole!” A young girl, no more than fifteen or sixteen with stars in her eyes, waved at him. She was with a couple of young men around the same age raking and bagging leaves. The guys all smiled and spoke as well. He waved back then jokingly said, “Hey! I’ll be out later to make sure you didn’t miss any leaves. Oh…this is my sister, Jade.” She spoke, and they returned her greeting warmly.
As they made their way up the stairs and onto the wrap around porch, Jade and Cole ran into more and more people. He continued to introduce her. It wasn’t hard to notice that he seemed happier, maybe even more at peace since they had arrived. They walked into the house through a screen door and ran into an older woman with graying hair piled high on her head and gentle eyes. At the moment, those eyes were trained on Jade. She felt as if this woman was looking clear through to her soul. She wiped her hands on a towel as she greeted them. “Cole Thornton who is the beautiful woman you’ve brought with you today?”
He beamed with pride. “Ms. Nash, this is Jade Anderson. This is the young woman I’ve told you about.”
Dawning appeared on her face as she reached out to shake her hand. “So, you’re Cricket! I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about you.”
Surprised, Jade looked from Cole back to Ms. Nash and smiled at her then shook her hand. “Really? I hope only good things?”
“Of course. His eyes always light up when he’s talking about you. But, there were some interesting scrapes he described to me as well.”
A couple of kids who looked to be about nine or ten years old came running out from the back of the house each grabbing on to one of Cole’s legs. Their enthusiasm was like that of a child on Christmas morning. “Hi, Cole!” The little girl giggled. “Did you bring it? You promised.”
“I have it, but Ms. Nash made me promise not to give it to you until after we’ve done our chores for today.” The smiles on their lovely faces didn’t entirely disappear, but no one was happy about chores. The little boy was a bit disappointed. Sarcastically, he responded. “Thanks, Ms. Nash.”
She batted her eyes. “You’re welcome. Now go get started. The sooner you begin, the faster you can have at it.” The kids ran off, and Ms. Nash turned her attention back to Jade and Cole. “They’ve been dying to play that latest Halo game since you promised you’d bring it the last time you were here.”
“Me too. I haven’t played it yet either. I waited so we could do it together.”
“I don’t understand the fascination with those games. But you guys have a ball.” Ms. Nash gave Cole a stern look. “Once they have finished with their chores and not one second before. I’ve got to get back to the kitchen. I left Millie and Lisa in a room alone together. I just pray I have a kitchen to return to when I get back.” She turned to Jade. “It was nice to meet you. See you in a little while.”
As soon as Ms. Nash was out of earshot, Jade spoke. “This is a group home?”
“Yep. I volunteer here a few times a month. My company helps by contributing financially—whatever Ms. Nash thinks this place needs.”
“It seems so different from Marymount. That place was a house of horrors.”
“I hope it is. For starters, it’s a safe haven for these kids. I wouldn’t contribute a dime if it wasn’t. Ms. Nash and her team are great dealing with them too. We also make sure they have the best medical and mental health care. But, most importantly, there are plenty of things for them to do and lots of fresh air so that their circumstances won’t choke them.”
“Pretty amazing.”
Her compliment was like a drug. It made his chest swell. “Did you notice, the little girl that came up to me? She reminds me so much of you. The hair, eyes—even her smile are so similar to yours. She’s a sweetheart.”
“She seems to worship you.” Jade thought just like I did when I was a young girl. Why her mind kept going back there was frustrating. That was the past. She needed to focus on the future. It didn’t include any hero-worship. Best thing to do was change the subject. “What do you do here?”
“I tutor some of the kids in math and whatever odd thing Ms. Nash asks of me.”
Contemplative, Jade placed her hands on her hips as she looked around. “Well, I was always terrible at math so what else can I do while I’m here?”
He shrugged. “You want to help? I thought you might want to just hang out.”
“Oh-no. I’ve never been that kind of girl. I want to make myself useful. So, what do you think I can do?”
It made Cole feel good to know that even though Jade was feeling low, she still wanted to help these kids. “Whatever you want. I brought you here because I wanted to show you where I come when I’m feeling a little down. It’s a great outlet for me to release some negative energy. Some of these kids had it really bad before being placed here. I know you understand that more than most. Plus, I love seeing them open up and become a part of the Serenity House family.”
Jade was more than impressed. Her heart was genuinely touched. “Maybe I can help Ms. Nash in the kitchen.”
“I’m sure she would love that. They also need help in the reading room. It’s just reading stories to the younger kids. But whatever you do I’m sure will be fine with Ms. Nash. The kitchen is down that hall and to your right. Alright…I’m out. See ya in